Chapter 13

"Where is she? Where's my future daughter-in-law?"

The unexpected swing of the door sent a jolt through Amelia.

Turning around, she spotted a woman whose elegance was impossible to ignore.

One look at those refined features told Amelia everything she needed to know; Wyatt's strong resemblance to the woman was undeniable. The woman was clearly his mother.

Amelia had imagined countless scenarios of meeting her future mother-in-law, but never had she thought it would be like this.

Without any hesitation, the woman, Della Stewart, swept across the floor and caught Amelia's hand. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you."

Excitement glowed on Della's face, and her grip was so warm and certain that Amelia felt like she had suddenly become someone precious.

Della truly believed Amelia was precious.

With Wyatt nearing his late twenties and showing zero interest in romance for years, her hope for grandchildren had nearly faded. She had coaxed and pleaded for him to meet women, but he would not budge.

Irritated by her persistence, he had even left for another country before.

But just when her patience had all but run out, a sudden call from Kurt changed everything.He told her Wyatt had finally brought a woman home.

That tiny spark of hope had jolted her into action. She had rushed over.

Earlier, she worried that Kurt's news was just wishful thinking.Meeting Amelia-so poised and graceful-wiped away all her doubts. Her son had finally brought someone home, and what a lovely surprise his choice turned out to be. The joy inside Della felt impossible to contain.

Amelia could hardly meet Della's eager gaze without growing more self-conscious by the minute.

She wondered if Della discovered the truth, that she held the title of Jaxton's fiancée, would she still be so warm toward her?

Worry flickered in Amelia's eyes as she pondered that thought.

Suddenly, a gentle hand grasped hers, removing her from Della's grip.

"Please calm down, Mom. You're making her nervous!"

Wyatt's words nearly provoked Della into snapping at him.

Yet, one look at Amelia, who seemed pale as a sheet, stopped Della in her tracks. She immediately felt a pang of guilt. She didn't want to scare away her future daughter-in-law.

Her tone softened in an instant. "What's your name?"

Amelia realized she couldn't hide her identity anymore.

Wyatt,picking up on the unease growing in Amelia, knew what she was thinking and wanted to comfort her.

Yet before he could get a word in, Amelia softly said, "Mrs. Stewart, my name is Amelia Flynn. I'm the daughter of the Flynn family."

"The Flynn family?"

While the Flynns held some standing in Kretol, their power couldn't match that of the Stewarts.

Realization dawned on Della as she pieced together Amelia's identity.

A subtle shift came over her expression.

Amelia's anxiety grew when she noticed that. Her hands balled into fists without her even noticing.

Surely,once her connection to Jaxton came to light, she would be shown the door by the Stewart family. Bracing for harsh words, Amelia was startled instead by the sharp sound of a slap. She glanced up in surprise.

With a quick swing, Della had landed a slap on Wyatt's arm and scolded him, "Did you seduce her just because sheis pretty?"

Neither Amelia nor Wyatt had expected such a gesture, leaving them both speechless.

Before he could gather himself, Wyatt found Della's hand landing again and again on his arm.

He caught hold of Della's hand, a flush rising to his cheeks. "Please, Mom. That's enough."

Wyatt sounded resigned, his embarrassment clear. Amelia had never seen him this flustered before.

For the first time, she saw that beneath Wyatt's usual composure, there was room for awkwardness and vulnerability.

Once Wyatt blocked her next move, Della dropped her hand and flashed a warm, welcoming smile at Amelia.The motherly affection returned; she looked nothing like the person who had just been hitting Wyatt.

"Amelia, it's clear to me that Wyatt must have been the one who seduced you. I won't claim he is perfect,but he certainly outshines anyone from the Morrison family. When it comes to talent and looks, he truly has no equal. But what I'm proudest of is that he is reserved and principled. You'll never catch him being unfaithful.He's also a virgi-"

"Mom!"

Wyatt's urgent interruption cut through the room. His tone was a little sharper than usual.

Della was startled by his sudden interruption.

She narrowed her eyes, clearly displeased. "What's the matter with you? There's no need to raise your voice like that."

"Miss Flynn needs some time to herself. She's not feeling her best, so we should let her rest," Wyatt said.

Every fiber of Della's being wanted to stay, but hearing that Amelia was unwell made her decide to leave. Still, as she reached the door, she turned back to Amelia and said, "Amelia, Wyatt really is good. Besides being slightly older, he's quite perfect for-"

Wyatt's expression clouded at that. He quickly crossed the room, gently pushed her out, and shut the door,locking it behind him.

With Della finally gone, an awkward silence lingered in the room.

Breaking the silence, Wyatt said, "It's getting late. You can stay here tonight. I'll take you home tomorrow morning."

Amelia offered a gentlenod in reply.

Returning to his calm composure, Wyatt reminded her to get some rest before quietly leaving the room.

So much had happened tonight.

Once the door clicked shut, Amelia finally let out the breath she'd been holding.

The bed felt like a cloud beneath her, but sleep stubbornly stayed away.

Thoughts of Wyatt and Della drifted through her mind, filling her with a sense of hope.

Maybe, just maybe, fate would be kinder to her than it had been to her mother.